Lisbon, Part 2

Our second day in Lisbon was very food-centric. We started the day with pastries from a local bakery. When in Lisbon, you have to try pasteis de nata, custard tarts the area is known for. Another surprising delicacy is the fresh-squeezed orange juice you can find seemingly everywhere – it’s a refreshing morning pick-me-up after the many late nights we had while we were here! After breakfast, we took a long walk from our hotel (Sofitel Lisbon, which I cannot recommend enough) down to the Time Out Mercado da Ribeira, an incredible indoor market filled with Lisbon’s best restaurants and shops. If you’re familiar with Union Market in DC and the Ferry Building in San Francisco, this is similar, but…*bites fist*…bigger and better. We’re talking rows and rows of vendors selling anything from fresh seafood to charcuterie to pasteries to dishes from Michelin-starred restaurants. It’s really a sight to see and a great way to sample a variety of Portuguese cuisine if you’re only there for a short trip like we were. Afterward, we walked off the massive amount of calories consumed by checking out the older part of the city. I came very close to filling my sim card with these beautifully-tiled and pastel-hued buildings!